It’s the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s first full-length feature, The Kid, and that’s as good an excuse as any to celebrate all of his films. But who was Chaplin off-screen? A new Showtime documentary, The Real Chaplin directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney purports to get to the bottom of the real Charlie Chaplin…does it?
Click the triangle or mp3 link above to hear my review, as broadcast today on Arts Express on WBAI FM NYC, and Pacifica stations across the country.
Wasn’t the real Chaplin the character in Limelight?
The photo in the post is from Limelight. Buster Keaton appeared in that film where the two of them, supposedly both old-time vaudeville clowns, come out of retirement to do a vaudeville sketch for charity together. The story goes–whether it’s true or not I don’t know–is that Chaplin shot reels and reels of that scene and then only selected a brief few minute because he was afraid of being shown up by Keaton.